The "village" concept began in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood in 2001, when a group of residents who wanted to stay in their homes as they aged formed a nonprofit called Beacon Hill Village to enhance access to the services that often force older Americans to give up their homes. The movement has mushroomed, with "villages" established or emerging in communities throughout the country, over 40 in the DC area alone.
Learn more:

Publications about Villages:

Beth Baker, "The Village: Neighbors Helping Neighbors" in With a Little Help from our Friends: Creating Community as we Grow Older (Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 2014), pp. 29-39. Beth Baker is a long-time resident of Takoma Park.